Deadlift with dumbbells: straight-legged technique, which muscles work

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If you're interested in adding a barbell deadlift to your workout routine, it's important to learn and master the correct technique for performing this exercise to avoid injury and ensure you're recruiting the right muscles. Proper technique will develop overall strength and improve tone, especially of your gluteal muscles, which are often weakened by a sedentary lifestyle.

Technique:

Place your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Stand next to the bar with your feet touching it.
Turn your toes outward, but no more than 45º.
Bend over and grab the bar. The best grip for beginners is a clutch or mixed grip, with one hand on top of the bar and the other on the bottom.
Bend your knees slightly and do not squat.
Keep your back in a neutral position with a slight arch, pushing your chest outward.
Take a deep breath and tighten your abdominal muscles.
Keeping your head straight, squeeze your shoulder blades together (imagine trying to clasp them together).
Extend your legs slightly and lift the bar slightly so that it does not touch the floor.
Push your hips back and lift the barbell, keeping it close to your legs.
Raise the barbell up to your hips, keeping it close to your body throughout the movement.
At the top of the row, push your hips forward to lock out the movement.
Lower yourself down to the starting position.
Start with 3-5 reps in 2-3 sets.

The benefits and disadvantages of the Romanian dumbbell deadlift

Pros of exercise

The target muscles of the exercise are the muscles of the back surface of the body, namely the hamstrings, gluteal, and lumbar extensors. This option allows you not only to make the muscle relief more defined, but also to strengthen the muscles that stabilize the spine, necessary in other complex basic exercises, such as squats or deadlifts. Strengthening your back muscles helps maintain a healthy spine and prevents injuries.
The dumbbell option can be performed with either heavy or light weight, depending on your goals and preparation. For example, dumbbell deadlifts are more commonly used by men as a barbell replacement for instability when performing dumbbell deadlifts. This imbalance allows you to better concentrate when performing deadlifts on the target muscles and recruit more muscle fibers into the work. Since the option is not as convenient as with a barbell, the body spends more energy and progresses thanks to the new load.
Girls use it for the same reasons, but also to reduce working weight when the barbell is still too heavy.

Minuses

Disadvantages include the possibility of injury to the hamstring, since shortening, tightness and inelasticity of the hamstring muscles can easily be injured when using a technique with fairly intense muscle traction, especially with heavy weight. Therefore, it is necessary to start the exercise only if you have flexible muscles and ligaments.

Main mistakes

We are not doing a Romanian lift, so our legs are straight. Stretch to perform the exercise correctly and deeply. You can pre-train on a hyperextension machine. Try to make the deepest possible movements in it with a straight back. We find this to be a very effective preparation for stiff-legged deadlifts combined with stretching.
Don't put your head down. Let's look ahead. It is advisable to stand in front of a mirror.
When you take on a lot of weight, you begin to round your back. Because the weight is pulled not by the lower back, which lacks strength, but by the entire back. This is where all the injuries begin. It is enough to round your lower back and your entire back will follow suit.
Shrugs should not be done together with deadlifts. Initially, fix your shoulders so that they are in a normal straightened position, and not raised up. We are pumping not the trapezius, but the lower back.

First of all, the bent leg deadlift is designed to increase mass and strength, and this is the base. The Romanian get-up (aka Romanian deadlift) and straight-legged deadlift are designed to work isolatedly on the buttocks and hamstrings, which is extremely important for girls. They don't put as much stress on the spine, but can lead to injury if you forget how to do the exercises correctly.

In addition to hormonal speech and global mass, this exercise will make you look like other light exercises such as the feather. After a break try to do your normal rower and your trains on the bar, you will feel like flying. Your mind has recorded a huge workload with the squad, and the rest will be an easy game!

Exercise "Deadlift"

Landmine training: how to launch them. In this guide we will find all the exercises and different training tables that can give excellent results. This training method consists of using a rocker bar with one end fixed to the ground and the other between the hands of the athlete, who is free to oscillate the instrument in any direction based on the exercise.

Before doing a classic deadlift, you need to work with simpler exercises to strengthen your back. And before them is a month of hyperextension and stretching.

So, when your stretching for some reason does not want to progress, you can stop at the Romanian deadlift. And if you can stretch enough, then do deadlifts with straight legs.

What to replace it with?

If it hurts to do deadlifts, then for the back of the thighs and lower back, try the following:

Pulling your legs back with weights.
Reverse hyperextension.
Leg press on the back of the thigh.
Regular hyperextension.

Strengthen your lower back and leg muscles with these exercises, then try deadlifts. You can use an orthopedic belt if you have one. Or your doctor will prescribe it for you. A rigid athletic belt is not effective in this case.

Deadlifts for girls are an exercise that not only forces the gluteal muscles to contract, but also stretches them well. There is a classic deadlift, but you are not going to compete, so there is a slightly modified technique. And although it is called a straight-legged deadlift, this exercise must be performed so that the legs are bent at all times. They, as in previous exercises, should constantly experience tension. Moreover, at the bottom of the movement the knees should be even more bent than at the top.

This position of the legs protects the joints from possible injury during exercise. And this helps maintain the arch in the lower back. If you bend over with straight legs, then in order to maintain a straight back you will have to bend over due to the curvature of the spine.

You can choose the position of your legs at your discretion. The main thing is that you feel comfortable. In the classic version, they believe that the legs must be together. But let those who are truly comfortable standing in this position think so.

What muscles work during the Romanian dumbbell deadlift?

The main muscles are:

Biceps femoris muscle.
Semimembranosus muscle.
Semitendinosus muscle.
Spinal extensor.
Gluteus maximus muscle.

Additionally, to stabilize the situation, the work includes:

Rectus abdominis muscle.
Trapezius muscle.
Calf muscles.

Disadvantages for girls

In addition to the lower body, the deadlift primarily targets the latissimus dorsi muscles. When working with heavy weights, especially when the amplitude of movement is small - the pelvis at the lowest point is above the knees, the back works harder than the legs. Therefore, this fact is worth taking into account.
The lower back is subjected to heavy load, which must be stabilized by the abdominal and back muscles. But, despite stabilization, the heavy weight of the load negatively affects the lumbar region, so over time pain may be felt and even spinal diseases may develop. And an athletic belt is not the answer.
In addition to the back muscles, with a heavy load, the quadriceps develop greatly, and this can significantly affect the appearance. Sometimes, one basic exercise is not enough to work out the buttocks, so additional exercises come to the rescue. Or similar exercises are selected, but without emphasis on the latissimus muscles and quadriceps. We'll talk more about this below.
The reproductive system is also at risk, which can negatively affect the functions of the pelvic organs. It is also not recommended to perform the exercise during menstruation.

Romanian deadlift technique with dumbbells

Take dumbbells in your hands, place your feet parallel to the width of your pelvis. Place the dumbbells on your hips with your arms outstretched, with your palms facing you.
As you inhale, move your pelvis back, transferring your body weight to your heels, while slightly bending your legs at the knee joints and stretching your hamstrings. It is important to keep your back straight by tensing your abdominal muscles. Look straight ahead.
The lowest point of the amplitude will be determined by the degree of flexibility of the hamstring biceps, but in no case should you go lower due to rounding the back. The dumbbells should reach approximately mid-calf.
As you exhale, straighten your torso by tensing your gluteal muscles and lower back. Push off with your heels and return to the starting position with your back straight.

Straight-legged dumbbell row technique on a stand

In fact, the stand technique is justified in the case of barbell deadlifts. The height of the plates sometimes does not allow the exercise to be performed with full amplitude and touches the floor before the athlete has sufficiently stretched the biceps. For this purpose, a footrest was invented, which allows you to perform the exercise along the full trajectory of movement.

The stand is also used when the muscles of the back surface of the body are highly elastic, when even the weighted dumbbell discs touch the floor too early. The execution technique is no different from the previous one. The athlete only needs to stand on a hill with his feet hip-width apart. You can also perform straight-legged dumbbell rows on the stand, keeping your knees straight.

But if the dumbbells reach the middle of the shin at the lowest point, there is no need to perform the exercise with a stand.

Execution technique

First, we need to warm up and warm up our ligaments and muscles. Before performing the exercise, we recommend slightly stretching the back of your thighs, calves, and lower back.

This way, your chances of getting injured will be better. And if you're still afraid, don't delay medical help, even if it seems simple. Since you won't have immediate help from a physical education specialist, the safest thing to do is check what happened, making sure it really isn't anything serious.

When choosing a load to train with, make sure it's a weight you can handle without pushing your limits or getting hurt. Groundbreaking is a great, complete exercise that works the quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, traps, and forearms—without regard to the feeling of strength you'll be able to take on. However, if it is not performed with the correct technique, it can lead to serious injuries such as a herniated disc. Follow these steps to find out the right path to earth and become the Hercules of our time.

Execution order:

Get into the starting position with weight: we put our feet shoulder-length, you can turn your toes slightly to the sides or leave them parallel to each other.
It is necessary to bring your shoulder blades together, look straight. There is a deflection in the lower back (the pelvis is pushed back). Now let's remind you about breathing: as you go down, you inhale. Exhalation is on the rise Everything is as usual - effort comes on exhalation, relaxation on inhalation. Just remember this simple principle of breathing.
Legs straightened at the knees! That’s why this type of exercise is called straight-legged deadlift. Hold the barbell shoulder-width apart with an overhand grip.
We begin to move the bar or barbell straight down towards the middle of each foot. To do this, your feet must be level with each other!
The back remains straight, we bend by bending the lower back and moving the pelvis back. We move the pelvis back to maintain balance so as not to fall forward. Do not forget that you are moving your buttocks back not by bending your knees, but by bending all your legs back. That is, your legs will go beyond the line perpendicular to the floor. On the one hand, it turns out that the pelvis does not move at all, but on the other hand, it deviates along with the legs. But all movement is carried out due to the efforts of the lower back.
Until you have good flexibility, you will not lower the barbell below your knee. Over time, you will be able to reach the floor. We're talking about a barbell, not an empty bar. To lower an empty bar to the floor you need to stretch very well. And the larger the diameter of the pancakes, the easier it is to perform the exercise. For girls, at first, a fitness bar or body bar is better.
We pull the weight with the muscles of the lower back. During the exercise, you should feel how it and the back of the thigh work. When you return to the starting point, squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Prepare for Earth Balance from Earth

Land using the rudder

To better get into the correct lifting position, imagine trying to touch the wall behind you with your bottom and the wall facing you with your chin.
You can try to imagine not lifting the rocker, but pushing your feet towards the ground. This way you will need to stretch your legs while lifting and you will avoid the hubs moving before the rocker is lifted off the ground. If you lift your hips before the rocker, your back will fight and you risk injury. Use chalk to prevent your hands from slipping and your foot rocker from accidentally falling off. A lifting belt can help keep your back straight. This may help prevent injury, but it also prevents the development of stabilizing muscles and therefore increases the risk of injury through weight gain. in movements it is integrated into flexibility training. If you don't keep your back straight, you will put stress on your spinal discs, locking them in front and leaving a hole in your back, increasing the risk of tears and herniations. Exercise, consult your doctor if you are unsure whether you can maintain a new exercise program. Without removing your upper body in any way, this is not an exercise to train these muscles. Your arms should only serve as a link between the rocker and your shoulders, never allow the rocker to fall, always return it to the ground in a controlled manner, and if you lose the benefits of this part of the exercise, you risk breaking your shin if the rocker bounces around you. It's always better to lift weights with the help of someone who can help you. . Healthy overload exercise in the gym can lead to many healthy benefits, including: helping you burn more fat and calories at rest, strengthening your body for everyday activities, and staying healthy. Naturally, in this exercise you will not use the same weights that can be lifted in a classic deadlift. Lifting the weight is done through the lower back and upper hamstrings rather than through the strong leg extensors.

The diagram clearly shows that the pelvis is pulled back, and the legs remain almost straight.

Recommendations: how to do deadlifts with dumbbells correctly

To grow muscles during the mass gain period, both men and women can use heavy dumbbell weights and perform 8-12 repetitions of 4 sets. To do this, it is better to perform deadlifts as an additional exercise for the hamstrings after various squats or leg presses.
To improve the relief, during the drying period, as well as beginners in the gym, regardless of gender, should perform deadlifts with light dumbbell weights for 15-20 repetitions of 3-4 approaches. It is also worth performing Romanian deadlifts after basic basic and energy-intensive exercises as a way to refine the hamstrings and gluteal muscles.